Rain Doesn't Hurt a Waterbender
by LCextrordinaire
Summary: Something you control can't hurt you, right? Unfortunately, that's not the case. But just because you're under the weather, doesn't mean you can't have a good time. Based on headcannons from The-Magical-Baka on Tumblr.
1. Immune

**A/N: Thanks to The-Magical-Baka (find her on Tumblr) and her Kataang headcannons, another fanfic has been added! **

**I know that I promised that I'd post the sequel to ****_Prize Date_****, and don't worry. It will be the next multichapter story that I post. It is being written, and is nearly three-fourths finished. It's also getting betaed, so that's pretty sweet. **

**Anyway. The story. **

**Enjoy!**

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><p><em>"I'm glad the war is over, mom. I just wish you were here to see it now."<em>

_**xxx**_

Aang bounded up to the roof of the small home that he, Katara, and Sokka were all staying in. The small home was more a miniature palace, its rooms sprawling across the grounds until it was roughly the size of the Ember Island beach house that they had all stayed at together. This small palace was on Zuko's property, which was technically the Fire Nations palace grounds.

They didn't live there since Katara and Sokka still technically had a home in the South Pole with their father, Gran Gran, and Paku. He himself was working slowly to rebuild the Southern Air Temple and was living there with a few dozen highly skilled earthbenders to help him move the work along faster. Toph had come for a few weeks to supervise the 'lily-livered wimps' and the work that they were doing while he was gone.

Aang looked down to the court yard where Appa was laying perpendicular to where we was standing. The bison was munching large quantities of hay as a feminine figure lay against him.

_"Katara!"_

Her face was turned upwards, watching as the stars became brighter as the night wore on. She had her hair entirely down, and was relaxing in loose pants and pale blue shirt. Her feet were bare and scrubbed clean, most likely from rubbing against the rough sands that were just under the crashing waves of the beach not too far away.

A mischievous grin swept across the avatars features as he thought of a delightful idea that was purely Aang.

He softly got on the roof that was behind his air bison and his girlfriend. He slipped down to the ground and landed quietly without a sound. Toph didn't call him Twinkle Toes for nothing.

He swept silently across the courtyard floor a then struck a very ninja like pose against Appa.

_"Katara is just on the other side of Appa. I've got to be careful, quiet, and fast to scare her. She is trained for war."_

Aang took a breath, closing his eyes and imitating meditation for a moment before opening his eyes and leaping over Appa with a strong gust of wind that was forced from his feet.

_"Okay. Now or I'm an idiot and shouldn't have been able to win against Ozai!"_

He sucked in a large amount of air, then using his bending skills, he projected his voice to be amplified beyond what should be humanly possible for anyone but an airbending master like himself.

"BOO!"

**_xxx_**

"Ahh!"

"Ow, Katara!"

Katara was standing on the ground in a basic waterbending pose, one where the feet were planted firmly for stability, yet loose enough for a quick change and shift of weight for the water's movement. The pose wasn't without reason though.

Katara, with all of her battle trained reflexes, had quickly and without thinking formed a thin water whip from the moisture in the air around her and had accidentally whacked her boyfriend with a sharp flick.

_"The big dummy,"_ Katara thought as she glared up at her boyfriend. "I could have killed you, Aang."

**_xxx_**

Aang gulped nervously as he looked down at Katara from his position on top of Appa. _"I hadn't thought of that one. I guess I'm pretty lucky I'm not hurt that badly."_

"Aang?"

"Sweetie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you so badly. I just wanted to make you jump since I thought it would be cute…"

His voice trailed off as he dropped his head, his eyes peeking up to see how his girlfriend was reacting to what he was saying.

Katara dropped the defensive pose and relaxed. "It's okay, sweetie. I guess I should be glad that you feel at enough at ease to risk scaring me. I'm just still really uptight from the war."

"I know."

Aang jumped off of Appa and landed next to Katara softly, allowing the air to cushion his landing. He placed a hand against Katara's cheek gently.

"Do you forgive me?"

"Of course."

Aang pulled her in gently before placing his lips lightly against hers for a soft kiss before he pulled away and wrapped his strong arms around her frame.

"Thank you."

"You owe me."

Aang stepped back and did a silly little bow to her. "What does my lady wish for then?"

Katara giggled at his antics before she sobered up and took on the role of high nobility. "I wish for someone to cuddle with while I lay against the avatars air bison and watch the night stars."

Aang continued with this playful ruse by asking her, "Does my lady wish for me to fetch someone? Your brother, Sir Sokka, perhaps?"

"Oh no! Do not call upon him for he is likely out with his lady, Lady Suki."

Breaking the role, Aang grinned at her. "Nah. He's taking a bath in his private bathrooms." He lifted his foot and wiggled his toes. "I can feel the vibrations."

"Aang! I did not want or need to know that! Thanks a lot! Though it is helpful to know that he won't smell tomorrow."

"Yeah, that'll be nice." He looked away, glanced back at Katara before averting his eyes once again. "So…"

"Yes?"

"Are you still feeling up for a snuggle buddy and some stargazing?"

**_xxx_**

It had been a few hours since Katara had accepted Aang's question, and since she had answered they had been laying against Appa together, she in his arms. She had since, in that time, decided that her favorite thing about Aang wasn't that he was a powerful bender, but was that he loved to cuddle and he wasn't ashamed of that or afraid to show it.

He had been grinning at her, smiling at everything she said, and even occasionally resting a kiss on her cheek before turning his eyes back to the sky to view the stars with her.

"Remember when we were in Wan Shi Tong's library and we got to see some of the future positions of the stars in the planetarium?"

"Yup. Though they were a bit sped up."

"Yeah, that's true."

Their faces lost some of their glow as the light of the full moon was slowly blocked out by clouds that were making a surprisingly fast appearance. They were blown in by cool gusts of wind. Katara and her boyfriend barely felt the breeze however since they were sunk so deeply in Appa's fur.

"Remember when I sent you up into the sky on your glider with my water pouch to bend the water from the cloud into it so that we'd have something to drink?"

Katara felt a rumble in Aang's chest as he chuckled.

"Yup. That I do."

The rumble that was in Aang's chest was repeated by the sky as thunder rolled into their hearing.

"Um... Katara? Maybe we should go inside."

A few drops of water splattered down from the sky and onto the surrounding courtyard.

Katara sat up, staring beseechingly down at Aang.

"Oh, Sweetie! Can we please stay out a bit longer? I mean, there's a full moon out! A little water never hurt a waterbender anyway! Please? If you say no then I'll stay out alone, so please join me?

Aang drug a hand down his face, sighing as the hand came to grip his chin. "Katara..."

Her eyes stayed glued to him, waiting to find out the answer.

"Do you know how hard it is to say no to you?"

She grinned, then threw her arms around him in a tight hug. "Thank you!"

**_xxx_**

It had been at least fifteen minutes since the rain had really started to come down in hard torrents, soaking them each to the bone. They had gotten off of Appa and started to dance around, grabbing the water before it hit the ground and tossing it at each other using their bending.

With the help of the full moon, they were able to extend their reach of bending and were pulling water in from beyond what the normal distance was, and also bending more water than usual.

Aang had just gotten a large face full of the liquid before he lost control of the water that he was holding above Katara's head and released it to fall and land on the dear girl.

They looked at each other then burst out laughing. Katara's hair was plastered to her face, neck, and shoulders. Aang had somehow fallen onto Appa at one point, and he had the bison's fur all over his face and front of his shirt.

Katara walked forward, and after pulling her hair off of her face, she brushed the majority of fur off of Aang's face. Once most of the fur was gone from his features, she smiled at him, then kissed him lightly and let her lips rest against his while the rain pattered down around them, hitting their forms and the ground with soft, wet plops.

_**xxx**_

"Hey, Katara?"

"Yes, Aang?"

The Southern Water Tribe girl moved her arms to bend a large amount of water from her hair. She left a small bit though since she knew that if she were to do it all at once it could very well ruin her hair. She bent a large amount of water out of her clothes as well, then quickly did the same to Aang's.

"Do you think," Katara could tell that he was definitely nervous, "that we could maybe have a sleepover?"

"Huh?"

"A sleepover. Like one of us stay in the other's room." His eyes averted from hers, looking to the side as a light tinge swept across his features. "Not in the same bed of course, I'd sleep on the floor, it just that since we stopped having to sleep in the open during the war I miss being close to you while we sleep and I thought maybe we cou-"

"Of course, Aang."

The airbenders eyes flew back to hers, wide and surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah. As long as we do like you said and sleep in separate beds. My room good?"

"I'll go grab a mattress and blanket!"

The excited avatar made an air scooter and flew down the halls at break neck speed to fetch the sleeping pad and a blanket from his room. Once in his room he picked them up, rolled them together into tube-like shape, then tucking it all under his arm repeated the actions of an air scooter and swept down into Katara's room.

Katara had just slipped out of her wet clothes and into dry ones to sleep in, and she was currently standing in front of a vanity, running a comb through her hair to root out all the little knots and tangles as best that she could before resting her head on her pillow for the night. She was humming a small tune, a tune that Aang would often play on different instruments to remind him of the dead Air Nomads.

Aang tossed his sleeping pad down on the floor and then tossed the blanket over it. If not for the skillful gust of wind that Aang lazily tossed the way of the falling cloth, it would have landed in a heap. But since Aang had used bending, the blanket spread out and drifted down to lay calmly on the mattress.

Katara lay the comb down on the vanity.

"Aang?"

"Yes, Sweetie?"

"Thank you for the fun outside."

"No problem, Katara. It got you smiling, so it was entirely worth it." Aang walked to the middle of the room and started to bend the remaining water out of his clothes, then drying them entirely so he wouldn't sleep in wet clothes.

**_xxx_**

"It's not my fault if we get sick from being out in the rain though."

"Aang! We're water benders! We're not going to get sick from a bit of water."

Aang sighed as he took off his shirt. e had put it back on earlier when he had to walk through the halls. "Well, Zuko is a firebender and he got burnt. And Toph is an earthbender and she can get dirty," he pointed out.

"Water is different. It's the element of change and healing."

"Uh-huh."

Katara focused her sight in her boyfriend who was now shirtless.

_"Oh gosh… he's really… I mean look at his muscles. He's definitely grown since I first met him when he came out of the ice."_

"Katara? Are you listening to me?"

"Um, no. Sorry."

"That's ok. I was just saying that we should head to sleep. It's really late." He looked at the waterbender, his head cocked to the side as he awaited her answer to that question for apparently the second time.

"Sure. Sounds good," she said as she pushed the covers down. She then slipped into the bed and pulled them back up around her, tucking them in under her chin.

"I love you, Sweetie." Aang followed her example and lay down. He rested his tattooed head on the sleeping pallet before he heard her reply.

"I love you too, Sweetie."

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><p><strong>AN: And there is the first chapter of ****_Rain Doesn't Hurt a Waterbender_****! Again, I 'd like to thank The-Magical-Baka for inspiring me to write some Kataang. I never thought that I would since I'm a die hard Zutara and Taang shipper, but low and behold I wrote some Kataang. **

**In addition to thanking The-Magical-Baka, I'd like to thank the person who betaed this story, Fallen-Autumn-Leaves. She was amazing to work with, and was very willing to help. Also, to make her even more amazing, she was prompt. Amazingly so. So thanks, Fallen-Autumn-Leaves!**

**Until next chapter!**


	2. Achoo!

**A/N: And here is chapter two! Only one more chapter to go! If I get enough feedback on this chapter, I may release it early on Christmas day instead of on the Saturday after. **

**Again, thank you to Fallen-Autumn-Leaves for being so amazing and betaing this chapter! **

**Enjoy!**

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><p>"Ah-choo!"<p>

Katara bolted awake, sitting straight up in her bed. Aang was sitting on his sleeping pad, his legs crossed for his morning meditation. His hand was in front of his face and his fingers were rubbing against his nose.

Ever since Zuko had taught Aang how to firebend, the avatar had become more in tune with the sun and had started to wake up earlier. The same thing had happened with him when Katara had taught him to waterbend. The fuller the moon the more awake he was and the more difficult he found it to fall asleep.

Somehow though, this hadn't affected how tired Aang felt. Katara suspected that it was just like how the full moon strengthened her bending gave her energy. The sun must be giving him energy and the moon must giving him energy, both together making up for the sleep that he was losing due to his bending and it's side effects. Katara planned on researching and looking into this in the future with some healers from different nations.

"Aang?" Her nose felt stuffed, and she was a bit tired even though she had just woken up.

"Yeah?" His voice was odd, like he could only breath through his mouth.

She sighed. "I'm an idiot."

"Not going to lie. You kinda are." He sniffed, then yawned.

She flopped back down on the soft bedding and huffed in her stuffed up voice. "I've never gotten sick before from the rain. Why now?"

"I don't know." He sniffed again, clearly not enjoying the cold that he had managed to catch.

Katara let out a sneeze, her body convulsing in a small jerk as the air left her violently.

Aang's eyes grew before he followed Katara and let out a loud sneeze, his body scooting back a few inches from the force of the air that escaped him.

_**xxx**_

Sokka strolled down the halls of the small palace that Zuko had lent to him, Katara, and Aang. He passed a servant who was dusting different portraits that hung along the walls.

"Hey."

"Sir." The girl turned away from her work, bowed to him, then turned back to her job.

Sokka turned to the girl to ask her a question. "Say, what would you say the best thing to eat is?"

The girl paused to consider this question, obviously giving it some deep thought. Her hand went to scratch her ear, and her eyes drifted to the side, then up to the ceiling that was quite a few feet above her head.

Finally replying, she spoke. "I really like fire flakes. They have a good flavor to them, and since I grew up here in the Fire Nation, the heat of the flavor doesn't really bother me all that much, Sir."

"Uh-huh, uh-huh. Right. Now, can you imagine what were to happen if we were to combine the flavor of the fire flakes with seal jerky?"

The girl thought for a moment about what that would taste like.

"Well, Sir, I do believe that that wouldn't be an altogether terrible flavor. It might actually be pleasant. The spiciness partnered with the meat? We serve something similar here in this nation. Though I have heard that seal jerky and hippo cow jerky have two entirely different flavors, so they'll probably still taste different with the same seasoning on them."

"Alright. Well thank you for your thoughts. Now, last question for you." Sokka turned to face down the rest of the hall versus facing towards the servant girl. "Do you know where my sister's room is? I think I got a little bit lost."

She smiled gently at him, then turned and pointed with her hand. Directly down this hall, one left, a right, then another right. Then it's the third door down on the left from the corner that you'll have just turned."

"Okay! Thanks... I didn't catch your name."

"My name is Atsuko."

"Hmm… it suits you." Sokka started to walk off, waving his hand in thanks as he spoke his departing words to Atsuko. "And thanks for your help!"

She turned back to her dusting after watching him walk off. "He was very kind. I wonder why more important people aren't like that?"

**_xxx_**

_"Left."_ Sokka walked down the hall until he reached the end of the hall in that direction.

_"Right."_ This hall was a bit shorter, so only a dozen or so steps were needed to reach the next right turn. On the right side of this short hall the wall was missing. The open space showcased a very calming garden. It had a small pond with a few turtle ducks swimming around and a small bench for two. _"Suki, we'd fit perfectly on that bench together."_

"Right, and one, two, three!" he said, this time speaking out loud. He stopped in front of a door that slid into the wall. He straightened himself up, knowing that his sister would be in a more agreeable mood if all the buttons on his shirt were buttoned properly and the ties tied correctly.

Raising his hand and using his closed fist, he started to rap his knuckles against the door.

Before he made contact with the wood however, he stopped. He had heard a voice that was clearly not Katara, and was quite obviously her boyfriend, Aang.

"Sweetie... please? It will make me feel better!" His voice carried yet again through the walls.

"No, Aang. I'm not going to." His sister seemed adamant in whatever her choice was.

"Come on, Kata-"

Sokka interrupted the two muffled voices by quickly knocking on the door, then, without waiting for a response, he slid the door open to reveal the two benders.

Katara was in loose blue pants with a white shirt. Both items appeared as if they had been slept in. Aang was wearing his pants from the day before, and his shirt was on the floor next to a sleeping mattress.

"Good morning!" Sokka boomed his greeting to the two startled faces that stared at him.

The waterbender huffed at her brother after a moment of silence. "Morning, Sokka."

To Sokka, her voice still sounded a bit muffled. His sister sounded a bit stuffed up. Like she had a cold.

"Morning." This time it was the airbender who spoke to the Water Tribe boy. His voice sounded stuffed up as well.

"Are you guys sick?"

"Yup. Great guess, oh so deductive brother of mine."

Sokka placed a hand on his chin as he placed what to him felt like the most intelligent of expressions on his features. "Hm, yes. Sarcasm so early in the morning from my dear, sick sister. Today isn't turning out to be the best so far."

"Sokka… Katara won't use her healing ability to make my nose feel better." Aang flopped back on his pad, his feet having seemed to swipe out from underneath him and cause him to be forced by gravity onto the mattress.

"Well, it is her bending so she can choose what she does with them," Sokka reasoned to the usually reasonable avatar.

"Though, it is understandable that you'd want to do all that you can to get rid of such a misery. Or at least get someone else to do all that they can," Sokka continued in his mind.

"Thank you, Sokka." Katara waved her hand at her brother, as if using her hand to further show her agreement with his words. "Now. Colds are contagious, so unless you feel up to getting sick, leave."

Sokka's eyes grew wide, and he took a few steps back before he was in the hall again, safe from the sickness. "I'll tell the servants to stay out."

He started to close the door before he thought of something to add. "And you stay in." Quickly slamming the door shut, he spoke again, but this time quietly and to himself. "Now the cold is contained."

He started to walk back down the hall in the direction that he had come, unconcerned with what he was leaving behind when his sister's saccharine sweet voice floated toward him.

**_xxx_**

"Sokka…?" Aang watched as his girlfriend spoke to her brother on the other side of the wall.

"Yes, Katara?" His voice was hesitant.

"We haven't had breakfast, and we're hungry and will need food to keep our strength up so we can get better."

A groan was heard in response.

"You're my big brother. It's your job to take care of me. Can you bring me some food?"

"Oh, and while you're at it, I'd like some breakfast too, please!" Aang added to Katara's words.

Another groan was heard in response to what he had said.

Sokka's voice floated through the door and walls. "Am I going to be your servant?"

"Unless you want to catch the cold, then yes. We'll open the door just enough to take things, but we won't touch you if you bring us the things we want. Deal?"

"Katara, my little sister… you drive a hard bargain."

"Food, Sokka. And remember that Aang is a vegetarian," Katara reminded her brother as she heard Aang's stomach rumble.

"Yeah, yeah. How could I forget? He doesn't eat my absolute most favorite food of all time! Meat!"

The two sick benders listened to Sokka's steps fade away to do their bidding. Sokka mumbled words under his breath, which thankfully for him couldn't be made out by the couple.

**_xxx_**

"Stupid people who get sick, annoying couples who blackmail brothers, and yucky vegetarian meals that don't have meat." Sokka took the first left, then continued down the hall to the second turn and then around the last to see Atsuko who was still cleaning.

"Hello again, Sir."

"Hello!" He stomped past her, then stopped and turned around and walked back to her.

"Atsuko?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"First, it's Sokka."

She nodded.

"Second, I need help."

"Help? You're Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe though, brother of Master Katara, friend of the avatar and Lord Zuko. You and your friends won a war. What do you need help with, Si-Sokka?"

Sokka huffed and said hurriedly, "I love meat, Aang's sick, and he's a vegetarian."

"What?"

"Let me start from the beginning. A year and a half ago Katara and I found Aang in an iceberg…"

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><p><strong>AN: I hope that you enjoyed! Remember, enough feedback and I'll post the next chapter early! **

**Oh, and I posted something new on my DeviantART (link on my profile), so head over and see what you think! I'll be posting one more thing in the next week, so you'll have that to look forward to as well!**

**Also, I just put a poll up on my profile, so please check it out and vote! Thanks in advance!**

**Until next chapter!**

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><p><span><strong>ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE STORY<strong>

**_Atsuko is a Japanese name for females that translates to "warm", "kind", "cordial", "honest", and/or "child"._**


	3. Uh-oh, Aang

**A/N: Oh dear... the final chapter. Well, all good things must come to an end. **

**Anyway. On with the final chapter!**

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><p><em>"He really did mean the beginning..."<em> Atsuko thought as she listened to Sokka. He had finally reached today's event after at least fifteen minutes of recounting the tale to her.

"And so, Katara and Aang blackmailed me into being their servant for today. If I do that, then they won't come out and expose me to their cold." Sokka sighed. He still hadn't mastered the art of storytelling or explaining something when his emotions were in a turmoil, but he was getting better at it little by little.

"So you just need me to help you cook and get your sister and her boyfriend things?"

"Yes!" Sokka crowed, "That's it!"

"Well, Si-Sokka," she started, stumbling over his name again. "I can certainly assist you with this."

Sokka grinned, then grabbing the girl in a tight platypus bear hug, he thanked her profusely.

**_xxx_**

Water slid through the air, changing shape and direction fluently. It clearly was the element of change. The water passed between Aang and Katara, the couple bending together in perfect harmonious union. It slid from Katara's bending and straight into Aang's, the water following the path of a figure 8, occasionally making a small detour and sliding out for a quick flip before it passed back into the hands of the other bender.

"Aang, I'm glad that you can bend water. This is really relaxing." The girl smiled at her boyfriend, a light blush gracing the apples of her cheeks.

"I'm glad too, Katara." The avatar smiled back at her, allowing his body to adopt a bit more of an airbending stance. The stances for airbending were more relaxed than that of water, water more than fire, and fire more than that of earth's stances.

"Remember when I went to see Aunt Wu?"

"Yup, I do."

"Well, she said that I was destined for a powerful bender," Katara said, grinning at him.

"I know."

Katara narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You know?"

Aang gulped. He may be the avatar, but there were somethings that you just didn't do to a master waterbender or your girlfriend, much less your master waterbender of a girlfriend. One of those things was letting the secret slip that you had listened in on her private conversations.

**_xxx_**

"Pour two cups of flour in, then a cup of milk and an egg. After that, add a pinch of salt to finish up."

Sokka dumped in just over two cups of flour, not taking the time to scrape the excess flour from the top of the cup. With the second cup, small amounts puffed up in small white clouds and settled on Sokka's cheeks and clothing, a small bit even dusting his hair.

Ignoring the flour that now resided on him, he poured in a cup of milk, small amounts splashing over the edges of the bowl and onto the counter. Sokka cracked an egg, and a bit sloppily, he let the yolk and white fall into the milk and flour. Then quickly following, a pinch of salt was thrown in.

"Okay. Got that," Sokka said, looking at Atsuko.

Atsuko dumped in the one-fourth cup of sugar that she was holding back from him.

"Want me to stir?"

Sokka's head bobbed up and down as he nodded eagerly, happy to get out of "woman's work." That's what his sister did! He shouldn't have to do that.

Atsuko briefly worried over his head, praying that it didn't fall off with the vigorous movements and jerks.

She pulled the bowl with the ingredients towards her, picking up the spoon that they had laid out on the counter earlier. She started to stir, mixing the ingredients together. Soon they were mixed, unable to be separated and ready to use.

Atsuko called a firebending cook over, then asked him to light the fire for her so that she could prepare the food. Doing as she asked, the chef lit the fire, and as a helpful addition, warmed a flat pan for her to use.

**_xxx_**

Zuko walked into one of Mai's many rooms of his palace, narrowly missing being hit and most likely injured by a small throwing pin. He only knew this however from hearing the light thump as it buried itself deeply into the wooden door that he had just opened to walk through. If not for the door blocking its silent and deadly path, the pin would probably be buried in the scarred side of his face right now instead of the door.

"And that's why I had the servants place the target on that side of the room."

Zuko thanked his lucky stars that Mai had thought ahead. The walls were thick in this part of the palace, and rarely could you hear when someone was walking in the hall outside of your room. This door had saved his life quite a few times already.

Walking forward to meet her boyfriend, Mai let loose one of her rare but beautiful smiles.

"Hey, Gorgeous," the Fire Lord said happily.

"Hot Stuff," she replied back.

The nickname had become sort of a signal between them. Because he was a firebender, his body temperature was higher than that of an average Fire Nation citizens, much less other nations. Mai was on the cold blooded side, which didn't surprise Zuko at all, though he never said that.

Because she was constantly a bit chilly and he constantly quite warm, she had taken to using him as a sort of heater. Whenever she was about to get close to him to do this, she'd always call him Hot Stuff. Never any time but then. Otherwise, he was always Zuko.

Hearing the nickname, Zuko opened his arms for his girlfriend.

He treasured these moments. Mai wasn't one for initiating affection. He usually would have to be the one to move in and hold her hand, or to hold her cheek and lean in for a gentle kiss. When Mai initiated affection, it was special to him. Only he ever had gotten to see this side of her.

She ducked into his arms, tucking her head under his chin and wrapping her arms around his muscular torso. She relaxed against him, sighing in contentment.

"So, how have all the Fire Lord duties been going?"

Zuko's shoulders drooped as he tightened his loose hold on his girlfriend. "It's going well. I just didn't think that it would be this hard. My dad may be a bad father and ruler, but he was good at handling the workload."

"Yeah, I can't really disagree with that."

Zuko buried his nose in his girlfriend's hair, breathing deeply. The scent of her perfume calmed him. It was one that smelled like fire lilies and a wood burning fire. It was fine and rich, smelling exactly as one of such high-society should. Still, it was a warm smell, one that comforted him.

"So…" Mai lifted her head from its position, raising her gaze to meet Zuko's.

"Yes?"

"I don't know."

"Okay," Zuko responded. He kissed her forehead, then placed his chin back on the top of her head. "How do you think Aang, Katara, and Sokka are doing?" he asked her quietly.

"I'm sure that they're fine. If they need something, Zuko, then they will let you know. At least Sokka will."

Zuko chuckled with a grin. "Yeah, you're right." Then he used one finger to tip her face towards his, then gently rested his lips against hers in a soft and gentle kiss.

**_xxx_**

Sokka grinned, a bit of batter on his cheek. Next to him, Atsuko crossed her arms in triumph.

In front of them lay two plates on a large, metal platter. Both plates hosted a large stack of steaming pancakes. One had half a dozen thick strips of bacon, the other two eggs that were fried so that yolk would run out in a delicious golden yellow.

On the tray there also were utensils for both benders to use, tall tumblers of milk, and a small pot of honey for the pancakes.

"We did it, Atsuko!"

The girl huffed slightly. "Sokka, you poured the ingredients in, almost put the fire out, ruined half of the pancakes," here she glanced at the bowl full of charred remains, "and managed to break a dozen eggs in one go," she said, this time looking at the trash bin that was topped off with eggshells.

"Shh..." He slipped his arm over her shoulder, slowly making the shushing sound softer and softer as his head drew closer to hers.

"Sokka. Stop," she scolded in a no-nonsense way. "It's honestly a bit creepy."

**_xxx_**

Katara moved her right foot forward, then moved her left foot back. She twisted her body, keeping her left foot in place behind her and allowing her right foot to glide across the wooden paneled floor. Her back remained straight until she bent backwards, dropping her hand gracefully down to her hip, the moving it to travel up her side.

All of this was done in beat with a happy melody that Aang was playing on a pipe. His tune carried through the air in a strong volume, not a single note wavering. The music flowed into her like a stream into a river, and a river into an ocean. It felt natural and calming to move with something so light and beautiful.

A few happy fast beats that carried the tune upwards caught Katara by surprise. She did a few quick waterbending poses, which to a nonbender (as long as they weren't as close to a bender as Sokka was to her) would still resemble dancing, not forms that would control an element.

And started to speak, the song still carrying on through the air. "When do you think Sokka will be here with the food?"

A confused Katara turned to face her apparently very talented boyfriend who could play the pipe as well as talk at the same time.

He was sitting with his legs crossed, one hand holding the pipe in front of home, the other bending a steady stream of air through it. Thus, in this method, it allowed him to play a wind instrument at the same time that words were flowing from his mouth.

"Aang!"

"What? I only asked when Sokka will get here!"

"You're cheating!" she accused, gesturing towards his hands.

"No I'm not! It took me years to learn how to do this! It's just like if I had learned to do it with my mouth, only this way I don't get out of breath!"

The avatar was a bit flustered at his girlfriend accusing him of cheating, and as a result, the pipe let out a series of rather out of tune, squeaky, and scratchy notes.

Aang paused in his "music bending" and took a few short and even breaths to calm himself down. Then, after his mood was no longer one of being flustered, he got up and started a new tune in the same manner. This time though the tune was much faster.

Aang started to dance a jig, his feet barely touching the ground before flying up again. This was the lightness of foot that had obviously been the one to earn him the title of Twinkle Toes from Toph when he first opposed her at Earth Rumble VI, though with much less of a frolicsome feel at the time.

Katara felt her heart melt a little from the indignation she felt a few moment previous when she first saw Aang bending the music from the pipe. Her foot started to twitch, quickly gaining momentum before she herself couldn't help but join in with the dance with a grin, a sneeze, and then a happy laugh.

The two continued to dance, the light streaming in from the window and dancing with and around them as they moved. Aang couldn't keep his eyes off of Katara. She was beautiful.

Her natural grace of being a waterbender carried through into her dancing and showed itself clearly. Her movements were always fluid, never seeming to exert her in anyway. They fit her perfectly, and Aang wouldn't want it any other way.

Unfortunately, or fortunately in the case of their stomachs, this didn't last but a few seconds longer.

_Knock, knock, knock._

Aang cheered, practically flying towards the door as he tossed the pipe towards his mattress. "Sokka with the food!"

The door opened quickly, making a slight bang before it bounced back and hit Aang's outstretched and open palm which brought its movement to a halt.

It wasn't Sokka on the other side of the door, however. It was a girl in the palace uniform. She did bear food though.

The food was on a sturdy wooden tray. It consisted of two tall stacks of perfectly prepared pancakes, crispy bacon that smelled delightful to everyone but Aang, as well as eggs, Aang's usual choice of protein. There was honey for the pancakes and milk that had condensation gathering on the outside of the glasses.

"Where's Sokka?" Aang questioned, tilting his head and stepping out of the way for Katara who sniffled before stepping forward and accepting the offered food.

"I'm here."

Both Katara and Aang peeked their heads out of the door to see Sokka at the end of that part of the hall, a rag held to his face to cover his mouth and nose.

"You said that you'd stay inside!" he screeched, stepping back and knocking against a small table. A vase that sat on the table wobbled, almost falling over if not for Sokka's fast reaction time, gained from the year or so that he had spent training with benders and his girlfriend who was a Kyoshi warrior.

"We're not that sick, you idiot," Katara said dryly.

"Hey," he reasoned back, "I'm just being on the safe side. Suki will be back later today from training since dawn, and she won't kiss me if I'm sick."

Katara gave him a look as if to question his sanity. "Okay, well, you may go now that we have food." She looked at the girl who had been holding the food when the door was opened. "Thank you for helping him…?"

"Atsuko."

"Yeah! Thanks for helping, Atsuko! I'm glad that we didn't get just burned seal jerky!" Aang piped in, showing real and genuine appreciation for the meal and understanding that Sokka most likely wasn't the only chef, much less the only chef.

"No problem, Avatar."

"Aang."

"Aang," she accepted, nodding her head respectfully.

The 'thanks you's said, the two benders retreated back into Katara's room, happy to finally satisfy their growling stomachs.

"Atsuko smelled a bit like smoke, didn't she?" Katara noted, pulling a plate of pancakes towards her and popping a piece of bacon into her mouth.

"Well if Sokka was involved with the kitchen, I wouldn't be surprised, Sweetie." Aang lifted a fork and cut a piece of egg from the rest, placing it in his mouth.

"That's true, Sweetie."

**_xxx_**

"It's a good thing that you didn't break that vase, Sokka. It cost 8,000,000 gold pieces."

Sokka paled, hoping that had he broken it, Zuko would have forgave him.

"It is supposed to be auctioned in the next few weeks to raise money for the Harmony Restoration Movement."

The walked on in silence to the kitchen where they were going to work together to make quick work of the cleanup required.

"Sokka?"

"Yes, Atsuko?"

"May I ask you something?"

"Of course." He looked at her. "I don't see why not."

"Why were Katara and Aang in the room together?" Had they been married, she would not have questioned. Had they been younger or more innocent, she wouldn't have wondered. But war took innocence away from people, even if the part of innocence it destroyed had nothing to do with what the war was about. "Doesn't the Ava-Aang have his own room?"

**_xxx_**

Zuko, who was still with Mai, lay on the couch. Mai sat on the floor near the end of the couch that his head was resting on, gently running her fingers through his hair.

They were still enjoying their quiet moment together. Zuko had another peace meeting to attend later. This time with a few of the governors of the smaller Earth Kingdom colonies where Fire Nation citizens continued to reside.

Sadly for the Fire Nation couple, the peace and tranquility wouldn't last much longer.

"AANG! WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING IN KATARA'S ROOM? AND WHY WAS THERE A MATTRESS?"

A series of loud crashes followed the angry yell.

"If that's Sokka, then remind me to put it on the Fire Palace's diplomacy bill, Mai."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And that's the end! You know, I haven't gotten any reviews on this story, so maybe as a final and parting gift you could leave a review? **

**For other things, I'm still working on the sequel to Prize Date. Also, I may be posting a story that I wrote for ArtemisDay over for the DeviantArt Rangers Christmas Secret Santa. If I do though, it won't be until the new year. **

**Oh, and I put a poll up on my page! So head on over and let me know what fandom you'd want me to write a story or next! **

**Until next story!**


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